Paleo Diet: Raw Paleo Diet and Lifestyle Forum
Raw Paleo Diet Gallery => Display Your Culinary Creations => Topic started by: goodsamaritan on February 25, 2012, 02:17:15 pm
-
How to Open a Coconut at Home the Fastest Way
I remember being frustrated at seeing a video of someone showing how to open a bald coconut for coconut milk. The guy in the demo was poking holes in the coconut “eyes”… and taking an abominably long time to finish the entire process. My eyes rolled.
Well here is how to open a coconut at home the fastest way. I live in coconut land, so that’s all the credentials I need.
Step 1 – Get bald coconut on palm of left hand and expose the axis on top. Have a basin ready at the bottom of your hand to catch coconut water.
Step 2 – Get your big heavy knife and flip it for the blunt edge ready for striking the coconut across the axis / equator.
Step 3 – Strike once hard, the coconut will split across the axis and release the water. Pry open with knife if needed to release the coconut water.
Step 4 – If the coconut is not entirely split open, turn the coconut 90 degrees across the axis and strike it again a SECOND TIME. If you don’t finish opening a 2nd time, strike a THIRD TIME.
That’s it. Coconut open.
Sample pics:
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/how-to-open-coconut-03.jpg)
and
(http://www.myhealthblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/opened-coconut.jpg)
source: http://www.myhealthblog.org/2012/02/25/how-to-open-a-coconut-at-home-the-fastest-way/ (http://www.myhealthblog.org/2012/02/25/how-to-open-a-coconut-at-home-the-fastest-way/)
-
GS, how do you remove the coconut meat from that coconut? (Let's say I want the meat in chunks, not shredded.) A short video would be nice, if you can make one.
-
Hi Eveheart,
you saw my cup with the chunks?
This coconut I opened is a different variety. It is called a macapuno. The inside is softer.
See what macapuno is http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/macapuno (http://www.marketmanila.com/archives/macapuno)
I had this as a treat for myself. Macapuno is usually only available in commercial jars.
This time one of the fruit vendors was selling raw macapuno still in the shell.
As for the regular very hard coconut milk types, you have no choice but to grind them.
If you want to scoop them, you had best choose softer younger coconuts... the "mala kanin" consistency (like rice). The coconut vendor will know by knocking on the coconut.
-
Here is a video showing the opening process and grating process in any wet market today.
How to grate mature coconut (niyog) for coconut milk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqm_7jGrKoQ#)
-
Interesting. Why did he discard the coconut water? Is there not enough demand for coconut water to make it worthwhile to save? I think if I were ordering from him, I would ask for both the ground coconut and the coconut water.
Coincidentally, I recently tried So Delicious brand of unsweetened coconut milk in cartons and didn't get the usual nausea I get from coconut milk and coconut fat in general. Store-bought coconut milk products have always triggered a certain amount of nausea for me in the past, but they were all canned and I was curious whether a carton would work any better for me and for some reason it apparently did. Is canned coconut milk heated higher than that sold in cartons, I wonder? Maybe I'm developing better tolerance of MCT oils?
The ingredients on the carton are:
Organic coconut milk (non-GMO organic coconut cream, water, guar gum), calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, carrageenan, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D-2, L-selenomethionine (selenium), zinc oxide, folic acid, vitamin B-12.
Guar gum is apparently not a healthy ingredient (though there is dispute on that) and certainly not Paleo and I think I read that all commercial coconut milks are heated, so this likely won't become a staple food for me.
I also then tried some coconut water that I noticed the market has started selling in plastic bottles. It didn't trigger any nausea either, though coconut water doesn't usually trigger the nausea for me, except when it comes from green coconuts, it seems, so perhaps this was from mature coconuts.
-
Hi GS,
do you also use coconut milk pressing machines in your country like this one from Thailand?
Coconut Milk Machine (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hIcSTiua_A#)
Löwenherz
-
Is canned coconut milk heated higher than that sold in cartons, I wonder?
Hi PP,
unfortunately coconut milk in cartons is usually UHT processed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-temperature_processing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-temperature_processing)
Löwenherz
-
OK, thanks for that info, Löwenherz.
-
I phoned some manufacturers:
High quality organic coconut milk in cans is usually not UHT processed, but double-pasteurized.
Both methods destroy a great part of the incredible healing powers of raw coconut milk, IMO. Should I add that I am huge fan of coconuts? :D
Löwenherz
-
Interesting info about the macapuno coconut. I'll have to ask around and see if there are any of this kind to be had in local markets. (I'm guessing the answer is No.) I'll also check to see if there are any places to get the coconut meat fresh-shredded.
I can get young coconuts easily, but I like the thick, fat coconut milk if it is fresh... but I don't like it so much that I want to rig up a rotary shredder.